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CPU (Life Span)

  • 27-12-2003 5:48am
    #1
    joePC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,637 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    Just wondering, How long does the standard CPU last under standard condistions e.g. Althon XP3000+ or P4 3Ghz

    Maybe this is unanswerable I never heard of a CPU just giving up unless under extreme comdistions e.g. Overclocked + Voltage

    Thanks joePC


Comments

  • #2
    jmcc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,417 ✭✭✭jmcc


    Originally posted by joePC
    Hi all,

    Just wondering, How long does the standard CPU last under standard condistions e.g. Althon XP3000+ or P4 3Ghz

    Not sure. Most electronic equipment lifetimes seem to be based on what is known as the bathtub curve. The curve is shaped like a bathtub and the majority of failures occur at the beginning of the equipment's lifecycle (first six months or so) and the end (last six months or so). I would guess that most of the standard CPUs could last as long as 20 years or so under optimum conditions though given that cooling and operating temperature is an issue, the average CPU today could last about ten years with proper attention.

    I have CPUs in old computers here that are over 20 years old in a few cases and they still work. I have others in a few here that are ten years old and still working. (Used for old disk archive recovery reasons mainly.) However I have seen a few CPUs just die for no immediately apparent reason.
    Maybe this is unanswerable I never heard of a CPU just giving up unless under extreme comdistions e.g. Overclocked + Voltage

    Fans could become dislodged, the heatsink material could dry up, the motherboard itself could become unreliable (electrolytic capacitors drying up are a common source of problems especially on some motherboards). Static electricity could build up and zap it. The dust (which is mainly discarded Human skin fragments) could potentially cause short circuits. There are any number of reasons and sometimes it just happens due to plain bad luck. At the end of the day it is just equipment and it eventually will fail.

    Regards...jmcc


  • #3
    elexes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,471 ✭✭✭elexes


    dono exactly rember hearing at one time somone saying 10 years but i know many a 486 thats older then 10 now and there moving along just fine . but as jmcc said if it dosnt break in the first 6 months and uve no ocing going on could last you a few years


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